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Bulbs/amaryillus bulbs

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Expert: Long Island Gardener - 12/13/2007


Question
To whom it may concern,                                                                                      
                  I HAVE SEVERAL LARGE AMARYLLIS BULBS THAT I WANT TO STORE UNTIL MARCH WITHOUT THEM STARTING TO THROW OUT FLOWER SHOOTS.CAN I PUT THEM IN THE REFRIGERATOR TO HOLD THEM BACK.
                 Thank you.
TOR TO HOLD THEM BACK/

Answer
You're asking a lot here, Ivor, unless you have bulbs in active growth right now.  Dormancy is not something you can push forever.  Kept in cool storage, 40 to 45 degrees F, totally dry and dark, you will maximize the odds.  By March they may be sending up stalks anyway, but they'll survive.  Small offset bulbs at that point can be removed and repotted in small, 3 inch clay pots; you may see flowers in 2 years if you are good to them.  After repotting these in March, raise the temp over a week to a balmy 75 to 80 degrees F.  Bear in mind a normal dormancy is 10 to 12 weeks, not 6 months.  Good luck with that.

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.

Experience

Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.

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